The Price is Right

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The 522 users who count themselves as The Price is Right fans have written a total of 56 reviews.

Status

Premiered

Genre

Theme

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The Price Is Right has long been a staple of daytime and nighttime television. It has seen five incarnations: the 1956-1965 daytime version hosted by Bill Cullen on NBC and ABC, the 1972-1980... more »

The Price Is Right has long been a staple of daytime and nighttime television. It has seen five incarnations: the 1956-1965 daytime version hosted by Bill Cullen on NBC and ABC, the 1972-1980 nighttime version hosted by Dennis James and Bob Barker, the 1985 nighttime version hosted by Tom Kennedy, the 1994-1995 nighttime version hosted by Doug Davidson, and the current daytime version hosted by Barker and Drew Carey. This guide covers the current daytime version.

The object of The Price Is Right is to correctly guess the retail prices of items, without going over, to either win the items themselves or other prizes.

At the beginning of each show, the announcer calls out the names of four contestants, imploring each to "come on down!" A prize is announced for which each contestant (one at a time) makes a bid (called the One Bid). After the host announces the actual retail price, the contestant who bid closest without going over is invited on stage to play a pricing game for a larger prize. If a contestant's bid is exactly correct, he/she wins a $500 bonus (on the Armed Forces and $1,000,000 Spectacular Specials, the bonus for an exact bid is $1000).

Frequently, during Barker's tenure as host, an animal would be brought out on stage by one of the models during the One Bid prize plugs. Barker would then comment that the pet was availale for adoption at an area animal shelter. He also encouraged viewers to visit their local humane society.

Pricing game prizes often include cars (American cars only since circa 1992), trips, rooms of furniture, cash, and various other items. Furs were also given away during the early years, but this practice was dropped per Barker's wishes due to his involvement with animal-rights issues. The episodes that offer furs as prizes will likely never be seen again as Barker continues to fight against their re-airing. There were over 100 total individual pricing games with 75 in the current rotation. Some games involved pricing grocery or small, everyday items. Others involved chance, deduction, skill and/or patience. Many games quickly became very popular. Contestants chomp at the bit to play such entries as Plinko, Ten Chances, Cliff Hangers, Any Number, Grocery Game, Range Game, Race Game, and many others. While each of the pricing games uses only one player, there was one game (known by fans as Bullseye 2) which used two players. This game, which was retired during the first season, had the players alternating bids on a car or boat, and the first to guess the price exactly won. The second contestant was determined by immediately playing another One Bid.

Some pricing games have been retired. The reasons include frequent mechanical malfunctions, complicated rules, low odds of winning, and negative responses from viewers. Pictures, audio files, and videos of most of the retired pricing games can be seen on various fan pages on the World Wide Web.

After each pricing game is played (except for the final game of the day), one more contestant is called from the audience to "come on down," and another One Bid item is shown for another chance to play a pricing game. Until the fourth season, the two contestants with the highest winnings after all three pricing games had been played went to the Showcase round. Two showcases (prize packages worth several thousand dollars) are shown, one at a time. After the first showcase is revealed, the top winning contestant has the choice to bid on the showcase or pass it to his/her opponent and force him/her to bid. The contestant coming closest to the actual retail price of his/her own showcase without going over wins their showcase. Originally, the contestant could win only his/her showcase. Early in the show's run, a stipulation was added stating that if a contestant's bid came within $100 of his/her showcase's actual retail price, they'd win everything in both showcases. In 1998, the stipulation was modified, and, now, winning contestants who are $250 or less away from the actual retail price of their showcase win both showcases.

For the week of November 3-7, 1975 the show expanded from 30 to 60 minutes, following a successful week of experimental hour-long shows the week of September 8-12. A new round called the Showcase Showdown was added. After three contestants have played their pricing games, each has the chance to spin a large wheel called "The Big Wheel." The order of spinning is determined by each contestant's winnings with the player having won the least going first and the player having won the most going last. The Big Wheel contains 20 spaces with numbers in increments of five cents (not in order). Each contestant gets up to two spins in an attempt to get as close to $1.00 without going over. If he/she does not have $1.00 after the first spin, the contestant can choose to spin again to get closer to $1.00 or stop at their current score with the hope that the other contestants will either score lower or go over $1.00. Getting $1.00 exactly earns the contestant a $1000 bonus. Going over $1.00 automatically disqualifies the contestant from going any further. A one-spin spin-off is held if there is a tie between two or all three contestants. If the first two contestants go over $1.00, the third player automatically advances to the Showcase but is still entitled to one spin. After the first Showcase Showdown of each show, three more pricing games are played, followed by the second Showcase Showdown.

When the Showcase Showdown was first introduced, during the experimental hour-long week, the wheel spun sideways, and there was no $1000 bonus. When the hour-long show became permanent on November 3, 1975, the $1000 bonus was added, and the current wheel debuted. Beginning in June, 1978, contestants scoring $1.00 were now allowed to spin again in an attempt to win an additional $5000 for hitting one of the green sections above or below the $1.00 space (five and 15 cents) or $10,000 for hitting the $1.00 space. During the prime time specials that first aired in 2002, contestants that hit $1.00 during the bonus spin win $100,000. During the $1,000,000 Spectacular specials airing in 2003, this bonus was increased to one million dollars. The winners of each Showcase Showdown (two per show) advance to the Showcase round.

Numerous other changes have taken place through the years, and several prime time specials have aired. The Price Is Right's 5000th episode aired in March, 1998 at which time the studio at CBS's Television City where the show is shot was renamed the Bob Barker Studio. Also, the set and some of the pricing game boards went through numerous minor changes due to inflation or to give it a modern look.

The bloopers that have occurred on The Price is Right are among the most celebrated in television history. In early 1976, a woman called to Contestant's Row was in the ladies' room. Her husband had to leave the studio to tell her she'd been called. At the beginning of an episode early in the sixth season, a woman's tube top slipped down as she was running toward Conestant's Row. Also during that season, a woman fainted when she learned she won her showcase ($11,000 in prizes). Other bloopers include cars with malfunctioning brakes and other prizes which give way at the wrong time. Usually, one of the models is often a victim of these unfortunate mishaps (such as Janice Pennington and Rachel Reynolds hitting the wall with the car they are revealing for the Lucky $even pricing game). Many pricing games have malfunctioned at one time or another. Many contestants spinning the Big Wheel spin it so hard that they fall to the floor.

There have been a fair share of contestants who claim to or actually don't understand how to play a given game. The most notable is the Check Game (where the contestant writes in an amount that when added to the actual retail price of a prize must total between $5000 and $6000. In addition, one game was victimized by a cheater on the April 4, 2005 playing of Flip Flop (where a contestant is presented a string of two sets of two numbers, representing an incorrect price, and must correct one or both sets to win a prize). The contestant, after receiving input from the audience, pressed the reveal button without making any changes. Barker awarded the contestant the prize anyway, although many fans believe the player should have been disqualified.

Some contestants eventually became celebrities - Vanna White in particular. She was called to "come on down" in June, 1980, but did not get out of Contestant's Row. Other future stars include Rick Schroeder and Linda Cardellini.

Main Title Theme Song
"The Price Is Right Theme" by Edd Kalehoff

CBS Broadcast History
September 4, 1972 - March 23, 1973 .... Monday - Friday at 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
March 26, 1973 - August 15, 1975 .... Monday - Friday at 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM
August 15, 1975 - November 28, 1975 .... Monday - Friday at 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
November 3, 1975 - March 25, 1977 .... Monday - Friday at 10:00 AM 11:00 AM
March 28, 1977 - November 4, 1977 .... Monday - Friday at 10:30AM - 11:30 AM
November 7, 1977 - December 16, 1977 .... Monday - Friday at 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
December 19, 1977 - April 20, 1979 .... Monday - Friday at 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
April 23, 1979 -present .... Monday - Friday at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Emmy Awards Nominations
Outstanding Host in a Game Show or Audience Participation Show
1975 - Bob Barker

Outstanding Game Show Host
1979 - Bob Barker
1982 - Bob Barker (winner)
1985 - Bob Barker
1986 - Bob Barker
1987 - Bob Barker (winner)
1990 - Bob Barker (winner)
1991 - Bob Barker (winner)
1992 - Bob Barker (winner)
1993 - Bob Barker
1994 - Bob Barker (winner)
1995 - Bob Barker (winner)
1996 - Bob Barker (winner)
2000 - Bob Barker (winner)
2002 - Bob Barker (winner)
2003 - Bob Barker
2004 - Bob Barker (winner)
2005 - Bob Barker
2007 - Bob Barker (winner)

Outstanding Game Show Host/Hostess
1984 - Bob Barker (winner)
1988 - Bob Barker (winner)

Outstanding Game Show
1976
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988 (winner)
1989
1990
1992
1993
1994
1995

Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show
2002
2003
2004 (winner)
2005
2007 (winner)
2008

Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or a Special
1997 - The Price Is Right 25th Anniversary Primetime Specialless «

• Barker Returns 4/16/09

  Bob Barker will be making a guest appearence on TPIR on Thurs, April 16th. He is on promoting his new book, "Priceless Mem...more »

  Bob Barker will be making a guest appearence on TPIR on Thurs, April 16th. He is on promoting his new book, "Priceless Memories", which is due out on April 6th. He will appear alongside current host Drew Carey while presenting the showcases at the end of the show. One showcase is built around his book with the prizes being a computer to buy the book, a trip to NYC to the publisher & a truck to haul all the new books in. Since retirement, Bob's days are filled with projects helping animals. He has a dog & 2 rabbits. The proceeds from his book will go to the Foundation he founded in 1994 which subsidizes the cost of spaying & neutering of animals. For those of us who love & miss Bob, you'll want to make sure not to miss the episode airing April 16th. Until then, "Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered."!! less «

  Larexx Last online May 21, 2009
  5 comments, last one Apr 22, 2009 + Add Comment

• Vote for your favorite New Model

  There are 5 new "beauties" fighting for the job of new model on TPIR. They are: Manuela-hometown, Columbia now living in ...more »

  There are 5 new "beauties" fighting for the job of new model on TPIR. They are: Manuela-hometown, Columbia now living in NYC. A dark haired beauty. Amanda-hometown, Birmingham, AL. A redheaded beauty. Lindsey-hometown, LA, CA. Has a 5 mo old baby girl. She has brown hair. Annilie-hometown, Miami, FL. Was 2007 Miss Florida Teen USA. Has blonde hair. Ekima-hometown, Detroit, MI. African American with black hair. Voting begins tomorrow, Friday, October 24, 2008 @ 12pm eastern time Voting ends October 31, 2008 @ 12pm pacific time Vote online @ www.cbs.com/model My vote goes to Amanda. The show needs a redhead! Who do you want to win? less «

  Larexx Last online May 21, 2009
  5 comments, last one Apr 14, 2009 + Add Comment

• TPIR Birthday

  April 7th was my birthday, the big 5-0! Yeah, I'm old, LOL! Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a huge fan & never...more »

  April 7th was my birthday, the big 5-0! Yeah, I'm old, LOL! Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a huge fan & never miss an episode. So I was given the perfect gift, the new 2nd Edition DVD TPIR game with host Drew Carey! I had to play a game yesterday to check it out. It has a live Drew hosting & live models showing prizes & pretty good graphics. You had to write your bids onto a wipe off board & keep track of your own earnings. There are 8 games featured on the DVD. I got to play Half Off, Secret X and Hole In One which I failed at miserably! The other games are More Or Less, That's Too Much, Swap Meet, Coming or Going & an all new version of Plinko. I look forward to playing them all! My complaints are that there are long pauses between each phase of the game & they run through the showcase prizes too quickly. But overall it was a fun game. Now I just need to get enough people together who want to play to a proper game! less «

  Larexx Last online May 21, 2009
  2 comments, last one Apr 14, 2009 + Add Comment

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  1 Abysmal

  Giving away cars other than the "big" 3. hide « show »

  As a long time fan of the price is right , I am highly concerned about the change of vehicles that are being given away. Since it's inception Bob Barker only allowed cars from the "big" 3 to be given away. As a laid-off worker from General Motors my life as been devastated from the economic down turn. I am among the very many in southern Ohio that has been affected by this situation. I know most people don't care about people like me and my affected people , but try to understand where we are coming from. If we still had our jobs we would be helping the economy instead of being a drain on it. We were the people buying houses , cars and etc. Thanks.....................

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  MCBAD1 Added May 15, 2009 All my reviews
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  1 Abysmal

  The Price Is Wrong B!@#$...Drew Carey sucks! hide « show »

  The Price Is Wrong B!@#$...i havent met one person that likes Drew Carey as a host...he ruins the show! It has always been my moms favorite and now she wont even watch it. Get rid of that dude...Did you see the other day when the guy guessed the showcase showdown to the exact dollar?? Wow! second time its ever happened? You would think the host is supposed to make that even more exciting, but no this lame a$$ dude just says....wow, right on the money...or somethin weak like that. I cant imagine any host being more boring than this guy!

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  TEXASMEEK Added Dec 18, 2008 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  This is a great show. I watch it every morning I'm able to. hide « show »

  Since 1995 this was my favorite game show to watch on TV. It really is the fabulous 60 minute Price is Right. I was afraid like most were when Bob Barker decided to retire and let a new host take over. I'm very happy it wasn't Rosie O'Donnell. Drew Carey is a pretty good host, and although some things have changed since Drew took over the show, it's still one of the greatest shows on TV. It's truly amazing that this show has lasted for over 37 years now, and to still get the recognition that it does is truly amazing also. I love how stupid some contestants are during the bidding round, when someone bids $1 while somebody else has to go, or in an episode earlier this week, where the contestants overbid 3 straight times. You're screaming at your TV for one of them to bid $1 already. This show makes $1 the most exciting bill of dough in history. Something else I love, is when the wheel is spinning, people don't have the ability to spin it all the way around, and they get booed. That's hilarious, especially when it's a man that you know can spin the wheel for a long time, and it's super wimpy. Hilarious! One more thing I love about the show. During the showcase round at the end, when the items are being introduced, the contestants instead of loving the prizes they could win, ask the audience before Rich is done explaining everything, what they should bid on. It's hilarious how badly over or under some people bid on these showcases.

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  captaintombatch Added Nov 17, 2008 All my reviews
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  8.7 Great

  Great show! hide « show »

  This show was hosted by Bob Barker who did a phenomenal job getting fans into the many fun challenges and games. It was hard to find someone live up to his ability, but Drew Carey is doing a terrific job also. The show is a great mix of guessing and skill which one can really achieve a lot. The audience makes the show interesting, as people from the audience compete for prizes. The winner with the most prize value is able to compete on the next show. This is one of the most entertaining and interesting game shows in my opinion and is a true classic.

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  hp1145 Added Aug 24, 2008 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  I was wouldering why your show doesn't have any disable people on it. I think it would be great if you all showed the world that the price right is for everyone, Im not diabled but I think of them as part of you veiwers and think they would like this also hide « show »

  Ilike this show as the number 1 show on tv. But I have a problem I would why your show never has any disable people on it. I think it would be a great thing if your show would have some people on it that are disabled and show the world that your show is for all people, not just those people that can get up and run or walk. there are a lot of disable persons that would love to be on tv and would be able to do just as good on your show as a able person I also think it would be a great thing if you showed shows that has ever been on tv. I belive that disable people around the world would think that your show is not thethe world that you think the same way I do. about this for just the people that can walk or run. As a national tvlike this show as munber 1 with me but, I have a regust I woulder why your show never have a disable person on it. I think that it would be a great thing if you could have someone or more than just one disable person on. I think it would be a good thing to do. other than that I think this is one of the most greatest show I think you should look into this and let the world know you all belive we all as human beings are and have the right to a spot on tv as well as in the live as just a viewer.Im not diabled put i do think of people able or disabled as being the same ass me.I hope you will think .

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  flapkack1942 Added May 2, 2008 All my reviews